CDU’s Henkel Has Bundestag Aspirations

Former Berlin Interior Minister Frank Henkel on Thurs., Feb. 16, announced he would run for the Bundestag in this fall’s election.

Henkel, a member of the Christian Democrats, hopes to be picked to represent his party in the Mitte electoral district but will have to unseat the CDU’s current candidate Philipp Lengsfeld, according to the Tagesspiegel.

Lengsfeld has been a member of the lower house of parliament since 2013 but is seen losing the candidacy to Henkel, who was a controversial interior minister often considered pro-police from 2011 to 2016. He also led the Berlin CDU.

Henkel would face the SPD’s Eva Högl, who won a direct mandate from voters. Should Henkel get the nod during the party’s vote Feb. 23 but lose to Högl in the election, he would still have a shot at the Bundestag — by winning a seat through the proportionate component of Germany’s elections.

He’s reportedly hoping to win a top spot on the CDU’s list of Bundestag candidates that are assigned seats according to the proportional voting.

Henkel currently serves on an economic committee for the Berlin senate but has no other government function.